Ayiesha Vickers - C/F

(KB - 04/24/06)  Ayiesha Vickers got her start playing travel basketball about four years ago.    She was discovered at Westridge Middle School playing in a pickup game against boys.      The boys were losing.

Before that Ayiesha tried her hand at modeling, ballet and acting.    As the only girl in a family full of boys, her mom wanted to make she she exhausted all of her youthful potential.     Basketball was a sudden thing.    But, for Ayiesha, it has become an enduring love.

Ayiesha started out playing center for the Orlando Sixers 12U in 2003.    At the time, the Sixers were striving to overcome the Orlando Miracle for state honors.     Ayiesha didn't know the Miracle, but she heard the rumors.    They had some pretty good players and a loudmouth webmaster.      When the Sixers finally met the Miracle in the 2003 AAU state championship game, Ayiesha got a chance to see for herself.

Instead of buying into the anti-Miracle hype, Ayiesha joined the Miracle for the 2004 season.     She liked Coach Faye Robinson's approach to the sport and became a loyal supporter of the coach.

Ayiesha (or Ace, as she is known) stepped
into the Miracle's starting lineup and
has been a fixture on Robinson's
teams ever since.    She played on
the 2004 AAU state championship
team.   She played for the Next
Level in 2005.   In 2006, Ace
became the power forward for
Robinson's Comets Fusion.

Ayiesha's strong point is her
strength in the post.   Ace
is immovable on the block.
She has a quick inside spin
and an nice turnaround
jumper that (everyone tells us)
is under-utilized.

On defense, Ace is quick
enough to play guards
on the perimeter.    She
likes to give them a
step to the basket and
then comes from the
blindside to slap their
layup attempts out of bounds.
In one Miracle game Ace was
tech'd for exulting too
joyously over one victim of
this subterfuge.

Ayeisha plays center for
the Boone Braves where
she has been a starter
since her freshman
year.